


find me my bluebird

by kinselllas



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, pre-series AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 22:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13580019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinselllas/pseuds/kinselllas
Summary: Archie loved her first.At least, that’s how the story goes in his head.





	find me my bluebird

**Author's Note:**

> an AU of what came before, foggy season one canon
> 
> do fourteen year old boys talk like this? i have no idea, archie never would

_“i burned so long, so quiet, you must have wondered if i loved you back. i did, i did, i do.”_

_-annelyse gelman_

 

Archie loved her first.

 _At least, that’s how the story goes in his head_.

 

_x_

 

_Archie stands at his window, staring at Betty standing at her window, phone receiver at her ear. Her hair is up in the usual ponytail, but her white tank top meets a short denim skirt sitting on her hips. Archie’s always been partial to Betty with dirt streaked on her face, scrapes on her elbows from their soccer games in the park. This is different- not necessarily in a good or bad way- just different._

_Betty yanks the skirt down over her lightly tanned legs and nudges the speaker up with her shoulder._

_“You don’t think it’s too much?” She meets his gaze and he offers a small shrug._

_“I don’t think anything is too much for Reggie,” he says, and even saying the name makes his fist clench, for reasons he hasn’t yet tried to decipher._

_He can see Betty narrowing her eyes at him, pointedly. “Very funny, Arch.”_

_Archie knows what this is about, he knows why Betty is putting in so much effort. She’d been rambling on about her first kiss for weeks, dreading going into high school as the only freshman that had never kissed anyone. Archie had assured her that wouldn’t be true and was met with a snotty, “Easy for you to say, Archie,” as she recounted his own oral history. When Reggie asked her to a movie while they were all at the mall, Betty nearly jumped out of her skin._

_Archie found it all to be a bit ridiculous, but she was his friend. He had a duty to be supportive. Still, this was going a little far…_

_“Elizabeth!” Alice’s voice cuts through the receiver, “Get off the phone, I need to call Aunt Cece.”_

_He catches Betty’s quick eye roll before hanging up the phone, only to find her sitting on her front steps a few minutes later. Archie releases a deep sigh before heading down to meet her._

_“So?” She stands in front of him. Her eyes are hopeful, excited._

_“Hang on,” Archie says quietly. He reaches up and gently tugs the electric blue scrunchie out of her hair, blonde waves falling over her shoulders. Betty’s brow furrows, but she doesn’t move to stop him, a small smile grazes her mouth._

_“There,” he grins, “Perfect.”_

_“Thanks!” Her smile widens, “I can’t believe I’m going out with Reggie Mantle.”_

_And what’s so great about him? Archie thinks, but doesn’t say. He can remember sleepovers at Jason Blossom’s and they’d talk about what girls they wanted to kiss and Reggie had never said Betty. In fact, he had shrugged her off entirely. Archie had never said Betty either, but only because he couldn’t. It would betray too much, would betray their friendship._

_“Yeah,” he hides his eye roll, “Really setting the bar high, Betty.”_

_“If you’re just going to be a jerk about it…” she trails off and checks her watch._

_He’s certain Reggie and his brother would be picking her up any minute. Betty’s sneakers kick at the pebbles on the sidewalk and he feels an ache in his gut for disappointing her, for not being the supportive friend he’s supposed to be. She didn’t say a word when he kissed Cheryl at the Christmas mixer, a questionable decision in itself._

_He grabs her by the elbow before he even thinks about what he’s going to say. She’s staring at him, eyebrows raised and waiting._

_“I’m sorry, Betts,” without thinking he closes the distance between them and catches her mouth with his own. It’s rushed, breathless, and over in a second. He pulls away and Betty’s eyes flutter open, a wide gaze._

_“I’m sorry, Betts,” he repeats, gently. “I just really wanted to be your first kiss.”_

_It’s silent then, and Archie leaves her to wait for her ride. He retreats back to his house and up the stairs to his bedroom. When he glances out the window, Betty is still at her spot on the sidewalk, fingers lingering on her lips. He smiles._

 

x

 

_Betty’s second kiss goes about as well as Archie expected. In her nervousness, Betty’s elbow slipped from the arm rest in the theatre and impaled Reggie’s groin, which only led to his teeth sinking into her bottom lip too hard to feel good. Reggie spared no details with the guys, sharing a good laugh at her expense and it took everything in Archie not to sock him in the stomach to make him shut up._

_“What can you expect?” Chuck shrugs, “Betty is so virgin, wouldn’t be surprised if that was the first time she kissed someone.”_

_“It wasn’t,” Archie mumbles under his breath, on impulse._

_Chuck and Reggie move their gaze to him, and he’s even got Moose’s attention now._

_“You’re weren’t Betty’s first kiss,” he says, meeting Reggie’s eyes, “I was.”_

_They both give him a serious glare for a few seconds before erupting into hysterical laughter again._

_“I knew I tasted Cheryl’s cherry lipgloss!” He grabs Chuck’s shoulder, “Didn’t know I was going out with Archie’s sloppy seconds!”_

_Archie rolls his eyes and hurls a spiral at Reggie’s face. His reflexes are too quick and he catches it, coming down from his laughter to examine Archie more closely. Reggie’s fingers are splayed over the football and he takes a few steps forward, carefully._

_“You got a problem, Andrews?” Chuck follows Reggie’s lead and is behind his shoulder almost immediately. Archie takes a small step back._

_“No problem,” he shrugs. Swallows, “Just don’t see why you’d take out Betty if you don’t even like her.”_

_“Never said I didn’t like her,” Reggie says, and something shifts in his gaze. “Did I say that, Chuck?”_

_It’s a game. Everything is a game with them. Archie is suddenly struck with how much he misses Jughead in the summers he spends with his mom._

_“I didn’t hear that,” Chuck shakes his head, a smirk. “I think Andrews is jealous you tongued his girl next door.”_

_“Shut up, Chuck,” Archie groans, and is met with a spiral fired right at his stomach. He catches it, luckily. A second late and it probably would’ve knocked him over. He hides the impact and puts on a brave face. Where’s Fred Andrews when he needs him?_

_“I think Chuck’s right,” Reggie smirks, eyes narrowed. “I think you’ve got it bad for Betty Cooper.”_

_Archie huffs a quiet, “Whatever,” before tossing the ball to Moose._

_He knows full well by the time school starts Reggie and Chuck will have forgotten the entire conversation, and he might as well do the same._

_What he doesn’t expect, what Archie doesn’t see coming at all, is Reggie asking Betty out again on the first day of school. It sends a jolt through him and he swallows the tears rimming his eyes when he goes to bed that night, an ache at the back of his throat._

 

_x_

 

_They’re fifteen when Archie kisses her again. It’s summer, again. The air is warm and sticky and they’re sitting by Sweetwater River with a bottle of peach flavored wine._

_Betty and Reggie had ended things some time around Christmas on a lukewarm sentiment that they’re better off as friends. Reggie had told all of their friends with one of his careless shrugs, but he’d taken a moment to scope out Archie’s reaction. Archie was careful not to show anything more than indifference, reveling on the inside. He was surprised when Betty also appeared as if she couldn’t careless._

_“And ever since Polly started dating Jason,” Betty continues, “She’s never around. It’s just me, Alice, and Hal.”_

_“Hal’s not that bad,” Archie nudges her side, but he knows the Coopers like to play perfect family, when they’re anything but._

_Most of his friends- actually, most of the guys at school- were drooling over Polly long before she started dating Jason. Archie could understand, Polly had an easy allure about her, smokey eyes and long blonde hippy hair. She almost always had a joint tucked behind her ear. The fact that Jason had “selected” Polly as his girlfriend drove Cheryl absolutely insane. She had pictured someone polite and polished, someone more like herself. Archie would shiver at the thought._

_“So do you…” she trails off, tries again. “Do you like anyone?”_

_Archie takes a swig of wine and gives a quick shake of his head, “Do you?”_

_Betty gives a small shrug, “Nope.”_

_Archie doesn’t think before dropping the bottle and kissing her again. His hand moves to tangle in her hair and Betty lets her tongue slide into his mouth, persistent. He swallows his own groan and moves his tongue against hers. She tastes like peach and vanilla and Archie exhales into her mouth, aching to pull her onto his lap. They’re probably just drunk. Her legs straddle him and his fingers skate up her spine. He can hear the river rushing beside them._

_When it comes to the Cooper sisters, Archie’s always been partial to Betty._

 

_x_

 

_At the end of sophomore year he almost tells her. He doesn’t even know how to articulate what he’s feeling, but he knows it’s something that needs to be articulated. She’s going to Washington DC for the summer and Archie can feel a tiny panic racing through his veins. He’s spent the better half of his high school career with Betty right by his side, and he’s eternally grateful Jughead will be spending his summer in Riverdale._

_“Anyway,” she beams, suitcases at her feet, “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”_

_Archie shrugs, “I won’t have you to talk me out of it.”_

_Betty rolls her eyes but offers him a small smile. He wants to ask her to stay, selfishly. They deserve another summer. They never had enough time during the school year. Archie needed to focus on football and music, Betty needed to focus on literally everything else in her life._

_She leans forward and plants a gentle kiss on his cheek, “I’ll miss you, Arch.”_

_“Yeah,” he nods. It would be a great time to kiss her again. “You too, Betts.”_

_He watches Hal’s car roll down the street and shakes any remaining sentiments out of his head._

_He spends the summer focusing on his music, many afternoons with Ms. Grundy and her patient, gentle fingers. He feels warm from her attention, her insistent support of his dream. He hasn’t heard from Betty in months. Betty’s gone and Archie’s life moves on, in the worst way possible._

_She returns and he aches to retreat back to that old feeling._

_Veronica is bold and she is beautiful and he blindly follows her into a closet, knowing his best friend might hate him for it when he walks out. Sometimes Archie thinks he could use a spiral to the face._

 

_x_

 

_“I’m asking you now, right now, if you love me, Archie. Or even like me?”_

 

_“Of course I love you, Betty.”_

 


End file.
